The episodes use two pieces of theme music: a single opening theme and an ending theme. The opening theme is "Blue Bird" by Kobukuro and the ending theme is "Bakurock ～Mirai no Rinkakusen～"(Bakurock ～未来の輪郭線～?, literally, Bakurock: Outline the Future) by Ya-kyim.

A 25-episode anime television series was announced on December 10, 2009, and premiered on October 2, 2010, on the television network NHK.[2]

Episode list

Moritaka Mashiro, an average student with a talent for drawing, forgets his notebook at school, where his classmate Akito Takagi finds and looks through it. Akito likes his drawings and asks Moritaka to team up with him to create a best-selling manga. Moritaka refuses because his uncle was a manga artist until he died from overworking, while deeply in debt, which derails his dream. Akito soon invites him to visit Miho, the girl Moritaka has an unrequited crush on, and Akito tells her of his plan to create a manga that will become an anime, in which she will play the heroine. Moritaka also proposes to marry Miho when both their dreams come true, and she agrees that they will, but shall not see each other until then. With this motivation, Moritaka decides to become a manga artist.

2

Dumb and Smart"Baka to rikō" (馬鹿と利口)

October 9, 2010

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Moritaka chats with Akito, who tells him that he chose Moritaka because he is smarter than many of his peers in matters outside of scholarship, and that he believes Miho has a similar kind of intelligence, with the ability to be appealling to others. Moritaka tells Akito that he believes his uncle committed suicide, and thus suspects that his parents will oppose him becoming a manga artist. Moritaka's mother says his uncle did not commit suicide, but still opposes his decision until his father and grandfather show support for his dream. Moritaka's grandfather gives him his deceased uncle's studio apartment, and Moritaka brings Akito to see it.

3

Parents and Children"Oya to ko" (親と子)

October 16, 2010

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Moritaka and Akito arrive at Moritaka's uncle's apartment, where they look around and Moritaka shows Akito the manuscripts and "names," or rough drafts that the author of the manga produces before drawing them. Moritaka realizes that his uncle was working extremely hard until his death and vows to approach it with the same resolve. Moritaka and Akito find letters between his uncle and his friend from childhood, which stop before his hit manga was serialized, and looking at a yearbook photo of her, realized that he had been in love with Miho's mother. They go to visit Miho's mother the next day, and learn that she was also in love with him, but never could admit it and fell in love with someone else. Moritaka asks Miho's mother not to tell her about the relationship between her and her uncle, and he then sets out to make a manga.

4

Time and Key"Toki to kagi" (時と鍵)

October 23, 2010

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Moritaka shows Akito all that he has drawn and points out all the mistakes he has made, as well as the finer points of using tools for drawing manga. When Akito questions him, Moritaka tells him about G-Pens and Kabura pens, making manuscripts, and Kawaguchi Taro's three rules to a successful manga- thinking you are better than others, trying your hardest and luck. When they go to a convience store, Akito notices that the latest issue of "Jack" has a semi-finalist named Niizuma Eiji, a fifteen year old mangaka. The two discuss about their high-schools, manga, and editors, thus coming to the conclusion that they would finish the manuscript for a manga by summer's end and show it to an editor of "Jack". While walking home with Akito, Moritaka encounters Miho by chance; while the two are unable to look at each other as they pass, they both turn back to look.

5

Summer and Name"Natsu to nēmu" (夏とネーム)

October 30, 2010

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Recalling when he and Miho turned back to look at each other at the same time, Moritaka tells Akito that he and Miho have been on the same frequency for years, indicating that they are connected without having to say anything about it. Miho's best friend Kaya goes to Akito to complain about him telling Miho about her dream, and as she does so, gives indications of romantic interest in Akito that Moritaka and Kaya notice. During the summer, Moritaka and Akito stay at Moritaka's uncle's office, and work on a manga called "The Two Earths". When it's complete, they call the Shonen Jack editorial department.

6

Carrot and Stick"Ame to muchi" (アメとムチ)

November 6, 2010

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Moritaka and Akito meet with Akira Hattori, one of the editors at Shonen Jack. He notes that their work has flaws, as it is too text-driven and not drawn in manga style, but they have potential. He tells them that they are better suited to figuring out what could be a hit and drawing that, rather than drawing what they want, and while they are less likely to get a smash hit with that skillset, they are more likely to follow up on one if they do. Hattori gives them his contact information, encouraging them to come to him with their work. At school, the teacher decides to seat boys and girls next to each other, resulting in Moritaka sitting next to Miho.

7

Tears and Tears"Namida to namida" (涙と涙)

November 13, 2010

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After meeting with Hattori, Moritaka and Akito continue working on new submissions, and Moritaka writes notes to Miho in class. Miho cries after Moritaka asks her if they have to wait to be together until they've fulfilled their dreams, and she gives him her email. Moritaka is anxious to submit a work for the Tezuka Award so that Miho can smile again, but Akito suggests that they should proceed more cautiously and make their manga as good as it can be. Hattori calls them, and tells them that the work they submitted did not even make it to the finalists, but Akito and Moritaka resolve to keep trying and go for the next Tezuka award, much to Hattori's pleasure. Eiji receives a visit from his editor and the editor in chief, and agrees to move to Tokyo to write his manga if he gets the right to cancel one series after becoming the top-ranked manga artist.

8

Anxiety and Expectation"Fuan to kitai" (不安と期待)

November 20, 2010

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Akito comes up with some more ideas, including “One Hundred Millionth,” a story about people being ranked according to their abilities, and Hattori is impressed with the story, causing Moritaka to wonder if his art is good enough. The story is chosen as one of the finalists, but does not make it to the four chosen for the award or honorable mentions. Shortly afterward, Ishizawa, a classmate, claims that Moritaka’s art is holding Akito down. Akito gets angry and punches Ishizawa.

9

Regrets and Understanding"Kōkai to nattoku" (後悔と納得)

November 27, 2010

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Akito is suspended for a week after punching Ishizawa, causing Moritaka to worry about him. He goes over to visit Akito and learns that the story ideas he submitted to him were only a few of the ones he came up with. Moritaka then learns that Kaya and Aiko Iwase, the second best student in his grade, both have feelings for Akito. Akito tells them that he likes them both, but cannot be in a relationship with either due to his manga career. Aiko tells him to quit writing manga and leaves, while Kaya promises to support him. Kaya gets angry after Akito admits that he only spoke to her to get information about Miho for Moritaka, and Moritaka leaves with his determination restored.

10

10 and 2"Jū to ni" (10と2)

December 4, 2010

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Moritaka and Akito meet with Hattori, who says the manga artists liked their work, but the editors judging it thought it would never be published. Moritaka, wanting to progress faster than he is now, wonders if he could submit a work for serialization, and Hattori is doubtful. The editor in chief says that work needs to be good to be serialized, but Moritaka and Akito are not good enough yet, and need a good main character to do so. Their early attempts are unimpressive, but Hattori suggests that a cult hit that only 20 percent of the reader base would read, but consider their favorite, might be a way for Moritaka and Akito to get first place. Akito mentions an idea he has called "Money and Intelligence," in which people sell the contents of their minds to others, and Hattori suggests that they work on it.

11

Chocolate and NEXT!"Choko to NEXT!" (チョコとNEXT！)

December 11, 2010

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Moritaka and Akito work on "Money and Intelligence" while applying to the relatively easy North High School. Kaya questions why Moritaka and Miho are not seeing each other, and Akito concludes that Miho wants to remain focused on her dream. Moritaka and Akito get accepted into North High School along with Kaya and learn that their work will run in NEXT. Hattori tells them that the editors are planning to use them to make Eiji look good by comparison, but he tells them this is their chance to impress them and win against Eiji.

12

Feast and Graduation"Gochisō to Sotsugyō" (御馳走と卒業)

December 18, 2010

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After celebrating by eating out, Hattori, Akito and Moritaka discuss Money and Intelligence, and what changes they need to make to it. Hattori says that they should wait until graduating from high school to go for serialization, and that even Eiji is going for it too early. Kaya tells Akito that Miho is moving and hopes that she will see Moritaka at least once before she does. Moritaka insists on keeping to their promise despite not knowing how long it will take until he is able to fulfill it, but meets with Miho on the way home from the graduation ceremony. He asks how long she will wait, and she promises to wait forever, pleasing him.